A matter of you and me
by Rebecca Skywalker Naberrie
Summary: The legend of Naruto and Sasuke started many years ago, long before their births. They were meant to be adversaries, friends, enemies and soul mates. They became something else. The love story of Naruto and Sasuke started with one death, but it will survive long time after their demise. It was a path of hatred, suffering, tears, understanding and love. This is their story.
1. A matter of dreams, part I

**Naruto belongs to its creator, Masashi Kishimoto.**

_**This story contains minor SPOILERS from the latest chapters of the manga. You are warned. **_

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><p><em>I've always wanted to write something like this. I'm a great fan of Naruto and Sasuke. I think they have taught me a lot through the years. To say the truth, I used to dislike slash couples. I grew up with a very religious father, so I guess it was to be expected. Every time I saw a narusasu fanfic, I was like... "OMG! NO! That's not right!".<em>

_How the hell did I end up here, you wonder? Well, blame them. Every time I said, "Naruto and Sasuke are only good friends, nothing else", those two gave me a reason to believe otherwise, be it a kiss, a smile, a nearly death situation to save the other, a speech... So yes, they converted me from an intolerant forteen years old teenager to a very open minded person who, at the beginning of Shippuden was already rooting for them loud and clear._

As I said in the summary this is going to be a love story between Naruto and Sasuke. It will be a very slow process, as they start as adversaries, go back to be friends, and from there, they become something else. I want they relationship to be as realistic as possible, so I will take my time to develop any romantic feelings between them. I just hope the wait will be worthwhile at the end.

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><p><strong>A matter of dreams, part I.<strong>

The battle that was having place between the two old comrades was like no other in the history of the Shinobi world. In the development of the last few days, Naruto and Sasuke had come to be the most powerful beings in existence; some could say the most powerful beings that had ever walked the Earth. Their powers and strength were such, that probably surpassed those of their most famous ancestresses.

Considering these facts it was not a surprise that the collision of said powers, once again directed against each other, created an unparalleled spectacle, one without equal, as terrific as extraordinary, that shook the Earth to its foundations.

There were only three present spectators, two of which knew that no matter the outcome of the battle, at the end of it they'd be mourning the loss of an especial person, someone with an irreplaceable place in their hearts. They'd be facing the loss of a friend, of a comrade in arms, of a pupil, of an old love or a new one.

Those two people were asking themselves the sort of choices that had brought them here, to this place at this time, the old team reunited again one last time, and they wondered if there was a moment, a turning point, where they could've said or done something different to prevent it.

They wanted to believe that yes, there had been a chance, a choice, even if they'd missed it, but something in the atmosphere, in the electricity of the air and the shadows projected by the silhouettes of the two men fighting against each other, spoke of something else, of an encounter that was predicted more than a century ago, of a cursed path that was finally reaching its conclusion.

Was it choice or fate? It didn't matter.

Kakashi and Sakura could only watch how the fight carried on before the eyes, simple viewers of an event that would change the world, for better or for worse, irrevocably.

Naruto and Sasuke were oblivious to the presence of these persons; they only had eyes for each other. In this moment, they were the other's entire world. Perhaps they had always been.

Every blow, every attack they exchanged had a deeper meaning, a hidden significance, and the battle itself was a riddle spoken in a language that only the two could understand. They were true ninjas, true fighters, stronger and more powerful than they had ever imagined in that first battle many years ago. They had reached the climax of their destiny, and now was time to finish it all.

One in front of the other, not secrets, not tricks. Just absolute honesty standing between them. Naruto and Sasuke looked into each other eyes. And the battle carried on.

Around them the ground had sunk, creating a huge crater. They both were exhausted, and their chakra levels had decreased so much that every new attack supposed a serious risk to their own lives. And yet, it was still impressive.

"It's over." Sasuke stated, standing steadily a few meters of distance from Naruto. "I can see your chakra levels. You're finished."

Naruto smirked, unbothered for the superiority tone that was implied in Sasuke's voice. It almost made him feel nostalgic, reviving the old longing for the Academy's days, when they used to mock and bitch at each other relentlessly.

"You're not better yourself, _teme_."

Sasuke didn't deny it.

"So this is how it ends." He said instead, looking almost repentant.

"It doesn't have to be this way."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose not. You could always let me kill you," but his voice lacked of true maliciousness. It was almost a humorous remark, a jest between old friends.

"Or you could come with me." Naruto countered with his offer. "You don't need blood to create a revolution. We could do it together, Sasuke."

Sasuke didn't answer. His eyes looked reflexive for a moment, but then he shook his head imperceptibly. It was too late to take that path, he was too damage to put that sort of faith in the human kin.

Even when he would've never acknowledged it aloud, from the beginning of the battle Sasuke knew that his and Naruto's powers were evenly matched. The outcome of the battle would depend as much in strategy and fast thinking as it would in raw strength. And he didn't commit the mistake of believing Naruto was still that loser from years ago, unable to use the head before acting and a complete moron. No.

After fighting beside him against the bastard of Madara and that crazy bitch, Sasuke understood that Naruto had grown incredibly wise and strong through the years, and the loser was no longer a moron, even if he was still a bit of a dobe.

It didn't mean he was to retreat now, thought. He had entered to this battle knowing what he could lose, and what he could win, and a few foolish words bathed in hopeless idealism weren't going to change his mind.

He couldn't, really. Not even if he wanted to. Not after all the pain and suffering he had lived through. He owned it to Itachi and many good men like him, used as shinobi tools, to change the world into something better. And for that to happen the old ways had to die. Sacrifices were always necessary to achieve peace.

"Well then," Naruto's voice sounded resigned but not truly surprised. Like if he had known all along what his answer would be. "Let's finish it how it started. We still have chakra for one last blow."

Sasuke looked into his eyes. Did he mean…? Yes. He did.

The young ninja sighed deeply, fighting a mix of admiration and confusion and… maybe something else; a warm and awkward sensation in his chest. It wasn't an unusual reaction to Naruto.

What he had done to earn such a strong loyalty from the dobe… he would never know. But he was… grateful in a way. He found himself agreeing to the loser's unspoken words, even when he had never intended to do so.

"And we both die..." he whispered.

Naruto nodded, closing so the deal, and then he offered Sasuke a smile, an authentic, happy, bright smile. One that wasn't fake or shadowed with regret or fear. As if he'd made peace with that destiny a long time ago.

"And we both go together, yes."

The same thing, and yet it sounded so different coming from his lips.

Sasuke wasn't willing to die, not when he still had a job to do, a responsibility to carry on. If anyone else had suggested something similar, he would have felt insulted. But Naruto…

Naruto…

There was a connection between them; it was true, no matter how Sasuke had tried to deny it in the past. Their lives and their childhoods had been… so alike, and yet, completely opposed. Their paths were entangled somehow, had always been. And Naruto…

Naruto was worthy.

Sasuke smiled. If this was how it had to be…

"Give me all you have, Naruto, because I'm not holding back anything."

They both smiled and each other, and for a second they did nothing but to stare into each other's eyes. Words were redundant. Naruto and Sasuke understood each other perfectly well in silent. With that simple look, they were exchanging a wordless message. It was an apologize. It was an appreciation of how far they both had come. It was an acknowledgment of an old friendship that had never truly died. Above all, it was a farewell.

It was a goodbye.

The last one.

Then two light of oppose colors filled the sky. One orange and one blue.

They collided in the middle, several meters above the ground.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

…

…

Sasuke blinked.

Something was wrong.

Something was _very_ wrong.

True to his words, Sasuke has jumped against Naruto without holding anything back. Naruto might be a worthy opponent, but Sasuke wasn't going to give up easily. He still wanted the victory for himself, for Itachi. So he attacked; he attacked to kill, with his chidori shinning in his hand more deadly than ever.

He felt it as his hand sank brutally into Naruto's chest; he sensed his own lightning chakra thrusting its claws into his flesh fiercely. He saw the aching, the astonishment clouding the eyes of his friend. He tasted the blood when Naruto spit it as consequence of the impact. But he didn't...

He didn't feel any pain.

He didn't… feel anything, really. No physically at least.

But he should have felt it. The Rasengan that Naruto had carried in his right hand, the one that was supposed to impact against him. And if Sasuke wasn't strong enough to overcome his effects and survive, then they both would go together.

The Rasengan had never reached his blank.

It hadn't even touched him.

It took Sasuke three seconds to understand, three seconds after his attack impacted against his enemy flesh (his friend's?); three second that seemed to move in slow motion. Then he understood everything, and it was too late.

Naruto coughed and spit some more blood. His body writhed forward drawing a strange curve in the air. Then it started falling.

"Naruto!" Sasuke caught it in time, horrified, and they both landed in the ground. "Naruto..."

The blonde coughed again.

Sasuke didn't know what he felt. What he should've be feeling. Was he angry? Betrayed? Grateful? Offended? Somehow it was all of it and none at all.

"Naruto, you big idiot..." he muttered between teeth.

However his actions contradicted his words. Very carefully, as it were something sacred, Sasuke took Naruto's body in his arms and carried it for a few moments, and finally he deposited it with extreme care over the fresh grass.

"Ahh!" Naruto complained unwittingly when his back made contact against the ground. He might have tried to say something then, but his words were lost in mouthfuls of blood.

"Naruto" Sasuke tried to wake him up to no avail.

The wound in his chest, the wound he himself had caused, kept bleeding. The cut was very deep, so very deep that Sasuke was sure that if he tried, he'd be able to see the broken bones and part of the intern organs behind them. He didn't try. Naruto's orange jumper and black t-shirt were soaked in blood; his whole body was trembling restlessly, and then there were the effects of the lightning, which couldn't be appreciated at simple view.

Suddenly, Sasuke understood what was what he was feeling.

It was an emotion so powerful, so violent, so raw, that filled every part of him. It pulsed through his veins freezing them in its wake. It was so strong and overwhelming that didn't let space for anything else. And he was a fool for not having realized it before.

Sasuke felt fear.

For first time in his life, perhaps since he was eight year old kid, Sasuke was scared, terrified even. Because _it wasn't supposed to be this way._

"Naruto. _Dobe_! Wake up! Don't do this to me."

And why did he care anyway? This was his goal. Naruto was a necessary sacrifice for the new world that needed to be built. A world where men and women would be considered something more than mere tools at the service of the powerful. That was the agreement: a fair fight, for the sakes of the dreams. But…

"It wasn't fair. You broke the deal. Why did you have to do that?" He asked angrily at the unconscious body.

Everything would've been just fine if the idiot had adhered to his part of the agreement. His _own_ agreement. Sasuke would be either dead or alive, but not feeling guilty. He wouldn't be feeling scared, or frantic or desperate; lost as to what to do.

What should he do?

"Naruto…"

Naruto had waked up from his stupor. Sasuke didn't realize until his eyes caught his own. They were so blue and so bright; they were the color of a cloudless sky in the sunniest day of summer. It wasn't a wonder that they made people believe so easily. Once, many years ago, they had made Sasuke believe too.

"Moron," he cried angrily. "Only you could do something so stupid!" Naruto's facial features drew a resigned smile, and his eyes looked so tired; nothing as the hyperactive knucklehead ninja he was supposed to be.

"I had to." Naruto's answer came in a low whisper. Even to himself, his voice sounded as weak as he felt. "I had to fight for my dream."

The blood loss had made him delirious. Sasuke was sure of it. There wasn't any sense in his words. He wanted to yell at him "you can't fight for your dreams if you're dead, big idiot!", but for once he bit his tongue. Because... because Naruto was dying.

He needed Sakura. She was a ninja medic; she'd be able to heal him.

Sasuke lifted his eyes for a moment, unwillingly, as if those were the only thing keeping Naruto alive and the second he took them away from him his unsteady breathing would fade. Ridicule! But Sakura wasn't anywhere to be seen. He and Naruto had moved away from her and Kakashi during the battle, and of course the kunoichi wasn't near. Why would she be? Only because this time her precarious abilities could be of some real usefulness.

If only Naruto still had the nine tails fox inside of him.

A warm feeling in his hand took his attention back to Naruto. He was staring at him. Naruto was staring at him and there was something in his eyes.

"You don't dare to give up now, you hear me?" Sasuke ordered, not caring how fanciful that order was. "It wasn't a fair battle. You must keep fighting now, so we can fight again. So you can live, for your dreams."

Naruto smiled at his words. He smiled and suddenly his eyes were filled with understanding; as if all wisdom of the world had been revealed to him and Sasuke still remained ignorant. Most important yet, his face was in peace and his eyes in calm. They had accepted their destiny. They were _welcoming_ it.

"You still don't understand it, do you? You are my dream, Sasuke. You're my first and most precious dream. I…" Naruto coughed and spit some more blood, but he kept talking steadily. "I could never be happy in a world where you aren't. I know..." he smirked contemptuously. "Still a loser, aren't I? But it doesn't matter now… Sasuke," he called him. His eyes were clouding and a dark and dense mist had begun to cover the world. "Sasuke..."

"Naruto. Naruto I'm here." It was all he said.

Naruto deserved something else, something more after what he had just confessed, but Sasuke was speechless.

What do you tell a person when he or she declares that you are the most important thing for them, above anything else in the world, even their own dreams? When you actually believe it's true what they're saying? When such person is dying in your arms, and he knows it, and he doesn't care, and you are partially responsible for his demise? What do you tell to do everything better? Is there anything to tell? Anything at all?

He didn't know. He couldn't speak. He wasn't even able to think. So he just took Naruto's hand and held it tightly. It might have been the right thing to do, for Naruto smiled as a consequence.

"This is the end, Sasuke. This is how it ends… for me." Sasuke shook his head in disagreement but his lips didn't issue a word. "But…" Naruto kept talking. "Before I go… I'm trusting you my dream. You have to carry it on for me. Konoha… and the other villages… Kakashi, Sakura, Kurama… all my friends. You have to protect them, Sasuke, for me. And you have to trust them to make a better world... a world where the chain of hatred is broken and shinobis can live in peace."

Sasuke shook his head again, this time in incredulity. Such world was impossible, the reflection of a fool's dream. People would always feel hatred, because people's hearts were selfish. Almost all. Then there were the few exceptions. Naruto was one. Itachi had been another. People like them were the exact opposite to selfish.

"Promise me, Sasuke." Naruto's words were now barely a whisper. After his long speech all his strength seemed to have left him, but he wasn't going to let it go. "Promise… me."

The loser wouldn't let it go, and he wouldn't die in peace at less Sasuke promised. So he did. Even if he wasn't aware of when the words left his lips. His own voice sounded strange to him, as if it belonged to another person. Someone from a distant past.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. The world was now a black spot; he did not longer have strength to keep his eyes opened. He needed to hurry.

"I'm thankful, Sasuke… I'm happy, it's you with me at the end" he let out another smile, the last one.

"There is still time, Naruto." Sasuke had finally regained control of his voice. "Save your strength."

But Naruto didn't listen to him. Of course he didn't. He had never listened to him in the past either, not even when they were in the same team and Sasuke was the only one with a minimum idea of what he was doing. Why would he do it now?

Naruto was dying, and he was selfless. His strength was fading quickly and he was still necessary to break the jutsu that was keeping captive the whole world. He increased his grip on Sasuke's hand, and the black haired boy felt the familiar push of chakra.

Their energies flowed together one last time and the liberation's jutsu began. People started waking up. Sasuke didn't pay them any attention. He was exhausted too, from the previous battle. And the current jutsu was eating away all the energy he had left. But he didn't blink, he didn't take his eyes away from Naruto for a second.

Because as the people (far away, unimportant people) woke up, Naruto closed his eyes to the world for ever. And suddenly the Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja was gone from the world.

Naruto was dead.

The only remaining person that cared about him, was now dead.

Vanished.

Forever gone.

Flesh and bones to replace him.

And for the first time in a long, long way, Sasuke was truly alone, by his own doing, with nothing but a cold body and the collection of choices that had brought him to this point. So he did the only thing he could still do. He lifted his eyes to the sky and he cried.

Then, Sasuke felt nothing.

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><p>Well, what do you think? My plan is to create a universe, showing different scenes of Naruto and Sasuke through the years. I've always wanted to write a realistic way about how they came to be romantically involved with each other, and maybe a little beyond that, and now the manga it's so close to its end I think it's my chance. That way if I don't like Kishimoto's ending, I can always come here and enjoy with my own.<p>

I hope you could enjoy it, despite the mistakes in grammar. English is my second language and I'm still working on it... with a long road in fron of me.

I'll be waiting to read anything you have to say about the story, any **suggestions and/or corrections** will be very well wellcomed, as they help me a lot to keep improving. Also, **if any of you would be interested to be a beta** for this story, or for the following one, that'd be really great. There isn't better way to improve than learning from your mistakes.


	2. A matter of dreams, part II

_I hope you could enjoy the last chapter. I want to thank you all for your incredible support and kind reviews. This story is alive thanks to you._

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><p><strong>A matter of dreams, part II<strong>

Dead. Naruto was dead. It still surprised Sasuke how hard was being to process that simple fact. The death of the dobe had been his goal from the beginning. His dead represented the elimination of the last obstacle between Sasuke and the revolution that would lead to a new order, a better world where the corruption, politics, and hierarchy from the old one wouldn't have a place.

And now he had succeeded. Naruto was dead and he could proceed with his plan. There wasn't anything or anyone else able to stop him. The only thing that was preventing Sasuke from acting was himself. He and those... feelings. Those uncomfortable feelings writhing in his gut and making him feel… What? Guilty? Regretful?

Sasuke didn't have time for that sort of feelings. They were only a waste of time and worse yet, they led to nothing. What was done was done. Now it was time to move on. He still had a job to do, after all.

"_Before I go… I'm trusting you my dream."_

_You have to carry on for me._

The young ninja closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, breathing deeply.

It was those stupid words. They had pursued him since the dobe… since Naruto's death, refusing to leave him in peace and tormenting him restlessly. Sasuke heard his words ringing in his ears every single second of every day, and when he had given up running and finally fell slept, they followed him into his dreams too. And that was worse, much worse, because in his dreams Sasuke was able to see Narutos' face while he was dying, in addition to listening to his voice.

"_You are my dream, Sasuke. My first and most precious dream."_

"_Before I go… I'm trusting you…"_

"_I'm trusting you…"_

"Damn it!" he cursed to no one in particular.

He was alone in an unknown forest, without any direction in mind, and in a very weakened state. His last fight with Naruto had left him wounded and deprived of chakra, and after spending two days running tirelessly and without supplies, his health was becoming a danger to his life.

He was exhausted; every new step his legs took was a torment. And yet, Sasuke kept pushing himself forward. He didn't know if he was being followed, but he knew that if a jounin found him now his possibilities to endure a fight were near to zero.

No mattered. If Sasuke wanted a chance to survive he needed to stop now, and find some food and a suitable shelter where he could rest until his wounds were healed. It was a forest. I shouldn't be too difficult.

He found a shelter, an old cave hidden on a mountain cliff, though he hadn't been able to get any food. It was as if all animals had vanished from the forest at the start of the war. He tried to get some sleep, but just as it had happened before, a face with blue eyes and bright blonde hair came to meet him the instant he dropped his eyelids.

The face moved his lips as if to say something, but at the end it was only able to cough and spit blood before closing its eyes forever.

"Naruto…" Sasuke sighed, frustrated. "Damned you, Naruto!"

So...

Perhaps he was feeling guilty. Sasuke had never _wished _to kill him, not really. It was just something he had to do in order to achieve his dream. And he had never imagined the loser would let himself be killed. If he had known…

Well... Proably in that case Sasuke would have lowered his chidori before hurting him badly, and then he would've beaten the shit out of him until the dobe agreed to fight him fairly.

"_I could never be happy in a world where you aren't."_

He was so tired…

And Naruto was so stubborn, always had been. Sasuke never stood a chance to change his mind, even he knew that.

Sasuke coughed a little, resting his back against the wall of the cave, and immediately he was hit by a sharp pain in his chest; some broken ribs, no doubt. And the cut in his thigh from the previous fight with that bitch Kaguya had started to blood again. Overall it wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

He remembered how he had been forced to retreat, after the Infinite Tsukuyomi's victims started to wake up and after Naruto breathed his last breath. Sasuke had been paralyzed by Naruto's last words. It had been as if suddenly his lungs forgot how to breathe and his brain was left in blank. He had been frozen.

He had needed all his will to wake up from the trance and let go his hold on the body, leaving him (it) behind and disappearing before any survivors arrived to the scene and jumped to his own conclusions.

Naruto was dead.

That sentence rang in his ears over and over again.

He was dead.

He had died by his hand, for him, instead of him.

After all the pain Sasuke had caused him, after all the years ignoring his attempts to bring him home, after threating and laughing at his words of friendship, he had still cared enough to sacrifice his dreams for Sasuke, crazy enough to actually give up his life.

And he had died smiling.

"_I'm thankful, Sasuke… I'm happy, it's you with me at the end."_

Sasuke was a complete bastard. He had always known it, that was true, but he hadn't given a shit. He had never cared, and for sure, he had never hated himself for it.

Up to that moment.

"_Promise me, Sasuke." _

"_Promise… me."_

Naruto had begged him, and he had being dying. So Sasuke had promised, though he didn't even know what was he promising at that time.

He couldn't die. Naruto couldn't die; he was too full of life to leave the world this way. Sasuke closed his eyes for a second and prayed: "please, not this way".

He had also asked him the idiot preserve his strength; surely Sakura couldn't be very far and once she arrived she'd be able to save him. They were words to deaf ears. Naruto knew his chakra was necessary to awake the people trapped in the Eternal Tsukuyomi, and he wouldn't risk dying before doing precisely that, no matter that the effort from said technic would kill him without a doubt in his current weakened state.

Dobe.

"_I'm thankful, Sasuke… I'm happy, it's you with me at the end."_

"_I could never be happy in a world where you aren't."_

"_You are my dream, Sasuke. My first and most precious dream."_

For the first time in a very long way, Sasuke was lost at what to do. How should he proceed from here? Should he honor that last promise? Should he forget about him and carry on as he had intended?

There were too many questions, and Sasuke was too tired and felt too weak to look for a proper answer. He knew what he wanted, but now it was too late to do something about it.

Wasn't it the paradox of his life?

He let his eyelids fell, and tried to empty his mind of any thought. Life was currently a nightmare, but the little Sasuke inside of him still had hope that when he woke up, the last ten years of his life would turn to be nothing but a bad dream, a cruel joke of his imagination, and okasan and tousan and Itachi nii-san would be there to welcome him in the morning, and Naruto would still be alive, as hyperactive and knucklehead as ever.

He let his eyelids fell, and tried to empty his mind of any thought. Life was currently a nightmare, but the little Sasuke inside of him still had hope that when he woke up, the last ten years of his life would turn to be nothing but a bad dream, a cruel joke of his imagination, and okasan and tousan and Itachi nii-san would be there to welcome him in the morning, and Naruto would still be alive, as hyperactive and knucklehead as ever.

A blond whirlwind of pure emotion who wouldn't let anything or anyone stop him and who would search for Sasuke and gift him his precious smile.


End file.
